A suspected tornado left a 12-year-old dead and several injured in Cass County, Michigan.
The sheriff’s office says dispatchers got a 911 call around 3:12 Friday afternoon that a possible tornado had touched down north of U.S. 12 near Edwardsburg, and the caller couldn’t find their son. By the time first responders arrived, 12-year-old Silas Anderson had reportedly been found by his parents. The sheriff’s office says the injured boy was taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital, where he died surrounded by family.
In an update from the county on Friday evening, Emergency Manager Manny DeLaRosa said, “multiple large structures — including homes and pole barns — sustained damage ranging from major structural impacts to complete destruction.”
A local state of emergency has been declared. Cass County Board Chair Jeremiah Jones says that will help the county get funding and resources for the recovery effort. “I wish I had the perfect words for the people that were injured and the family that had a loss of life, but the only thing I can say is I pray for you and your comfort and the healing, mentally and physically,” Jones said in a Facebook video Saturday.
In St. Joseph County, Michigan, the storm apparently tore off the roof of a Menards store in Three Rivers and knocked out power to about 5,200 Indiana Michigan Power customers.
Three Rivers Mayor Angel Johnston addressed residents in a YouTube video. "I toured a little bit of the south of town early on, and the Third District got hit really bad, you guys," Johnston said. "There are several homes that are in really, really bad condition. There are trees down everywhere, lots and lots of damage."
Three Rivers Health says its hospital campus sustained wind damage, but no patients or staff were hurt. The emergency department remained open, and Three Rivers Health says it’s cared for several patients who sustained minor injuries from the storms.
Some of the worst damage was in Branch County, where officials say three people died and a dozen were injured near Union City.
The National Weather Service believes a lone supercell developed in LaPorte County on Friday afternoon, then tracked northeast into Michigan, hitting Edwardsburg around 3:10 and Three Rivers around 3:50. So far, damage surveys indicate an EF-3 tornado with winds of at least 150 miles per hour impacted the Union Lake area.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’ll declare a state of emergency for Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties. Residents in need of help are asked to call 211.
